Target: Charles Bolden, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goal: Protest the use and euthanization of live animals for intensive outer space testing

Russia launched a space mission from Kazakhstan on April 19th, which will orbit the Earth during the upcoming month. On board were mice, gerbils, geckos, and various fish to be used for testing. The animals will be 357 miles above the earth for the entirety of the mission while scientists monitor their health from the ground.

There have been similar studies performed before, but this will be longest lasting one to date. Its purpose is to study what the effects of spending long amounts of time in space will be for the animals. Russia and NASA want to observe how space travel affects sperm motility and how it changes body systems, in order to see if humans will be able to sustain life in space. Russia and other countries have been using animal testing in outer space for decades, and the animals are expected to survive both the trip and re-entry.

They will not, however, live much longer than that. They will be killed soon after landing so that scientists can study their bodies. Although the animals being sent on this mission are small and common, their lives are still valuable. Humans should not take away the lives of other living creatures for scientific testing. Protest the use of live animals for intensive outer space testing.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Administrator Bolden,

While it is true that live animals have been used for scientific testing for decades, the practice’s lengthy history does not redeem it. Throughout the past few years, animal testing has been falling out of fashion as animal activist groups and politicians make their opinions on the subject known. Many countries have banned animal testing in various fields, and it is becoming an infamous subject, already well-known for its out-dated cruelty and barbarity.

By using live animals in scientific testing in space, NASA and other organizations are propagating animal cruelty, and treating animals as if their lives are of no value. This is an easy attitude to adopt towards the animals used on the recent Russian launch on April 19th, but it is an hurtful attitude–all animals deserve to be able to live their lives, and all of their lives have value. These animals will all be killed after spending a month in cages, and while they will surely be killed humanely, they will still be forced to die. This is an out-dated practice, and one that should no longer be tolerated.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Dake via WikiCommons

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